S1: If you could sum up the Book of Revelations teaching
S1: in just one word, what word would you choose? Judgment. Violence. Finale.
S1: What about the word blessing? Just ahead. It's a look
S1: at 40 days through revelation plus will unpack all the
S1: news stories from the Middle East and answer your Bible questions.
S1: Join us now for the land and the book from
S1: Moody Radio. I'm John Geiger. Always glad to sit down
S1: with our host, Dr. Charlie Dyer. Charlie has led more
S1: than 100 tours to Israel. He's also traveled to Jordan, Turkey, Iraq,
S1: Greece and other great places to bring additional perspectives. He
S1: brings enormous breadth to every discussion we have here on
S1: the land of the book. Welcome, Charlie.
S2: John, great. Thank you. It's good to being back with
S2: you again. I always enjoy our time together.
S1: Well, Israel has been on our hearts for these past weeks.
S1: Many of us have been struggling with questions of what
S1: to think and feel. And in the midst of all this,
S1: God's heart for the Jewish people remains unchanged. He is
S1: faithful to his chosen people.
S2: And that's right. And that's why, as this year is
S2: drawing to a close, our friends at Life in Messiah
S2: would like to help you better connect with this crucial
S2: aspect of God's character. They're offering their new book, Sharing
S2: God's Heart to Land. In the book listeners, this 30
S2: day guided reflection will help connect you with God's heart
S2: for his precious people. The articles written by Life and
S2: Messiah staff provide insight into Jewish life and culture. They
S2: can help you prepare to share with your friends the
S2: peace of Messiah they so desperately need. If you'd like
S2: one of these insightful books for yourself or as a
S2: gift for someone else, visit Life in Messiah org and
S2: click on the Moody Radio button to find out how
S2: you can receive your copy. That's life in Messiah. Org
S2: I hope.
S1: You've been enjoying your Thanksgiving weekend. We do have so
S1: much to be thankful for, right? But we have to
S1: turn our focus now toward the conflict with Hamas. It continues. Israel,
S1: of course, is already beginning to focus on lessons that
S1: need to be learned to avoid future attacks. Charlie, what
S1: military changes might we see coming out of this conflict?
S2: Well, let me start with the positive. Once Israel got
S2: engaged in the battle, their superior forces overwhelmed Hamas. And
S2: their plan for what they called integrated warfare worked even
S2: better than they had hoped it would. Hamas was convinced
S2: that embedding itself in civilian population centers with deep tunnels
S2: under homes and hospitals would negate Israel's air power. They
S2: also believe that the hand-to-hand combat in the crowded streets
S2: and alleyways would give them the advantage. They wanted to
S2: lure Israel in and then cause as many casualties as possible.
S2: But Israel's new plan for integrated warfare, which was untested
S2: up till now, showed how the coordinated use of troops, tanks,
S2: air power and real time intelligence enabled them to strike
S2: ambush points and underground tunnels with minimal casualties. Some preliminary
S2: reports that said they could have up to a thousand casualties.
S2: And as we're recording, it's actually less far less than
S2: 100 right now. Now, Israel did discover flaws in their
S2: defensive strategy. The biggest flaw was the massive intelligence failure.
S2: At the very beginning, they bought into reports that Hamas
S2: wasn't ready for a major conflict, and they ignored reports
S2: about their training exercises. Israel allowed itself to be understaffed
S2: along the border, in part because of the Jewish holiday.
S2: They had also been cutting back on military preparation several
S2: years ago. They reduced the length of time required for
S2: mandatory military service and reserve duty, and they were actually
S2: talking about the possibility of going to an all volunteer army.
S2: It's likely they'll now reconsider retaining mandatory service and extending
S2: the duration of reserve duty. They were planning to reduce
S2: their fleet of attack helicopters, but now they're likely going
S2: to increase the numbers since they've played such a vital role.
S2: Artificial intelligence helped Israel and the selection of targets in Gaza,
S2: and it's likely that they're now going to expand the
S2: use of AI in future conflicts. The Iron Dome and
S2: aero systems both proved their worth, but it's interesting nothing
S2: has been reported on how the iron beam system functioned,
S2: though they said it was going to be put into use.
S2: That suggests it wasn't quite ready for prime time, so
S2: they're going to be pushing to bring it online as
S2: quickly as possible. And finally, Israel realized how long it
S2: took to mobilize and bring its forces to bear, especially
S2: in the first crucial hours. They'll now work to increase
S2: both the efficiency and effectiveness of any future response, especially
S2: from Hezbollah up in the north.
S1: Well, that's Dr. Charlie Dire. This is the land in
S1: the book. We're taking a look kind of from a
S1: 30,000 foot level at this Hamas attack, the conflict that's followed.
S1: Do we have any idea, Charlie, what changes Israel might
S1: undergo politically once this war is over?
S2: Yeah. Once the war is in the rearview mirror, there's
S2: going to be a lot of finger pointing and second guessing.
S2: The state comptroller has already issued a critical report on
S2: the government's lack of preparedness, and on its slow response.
S2: Israel was. Right down the middle politically before the start
S2: of the war. And while there's been a general sense
S2: of unity during the struggle, that unity is going to
S2: evaporate once the war is over. So politically, it's possible
S2: that Netanyahu will be forced to dissolve the government and
S2: hold new elections within a relatively short period of time.
S2: New elections would serve as a referendum on whether or
S2: not Netanyahu and his coalition were responsible for Israel being
S2: unprepared before the conflict, and on how well they guided
S2: the nation through the conflict. Two political questions will need
S2: to be answered. First, will Netanyahu remain head of the
S2: Likud party? And then second, can Likud remain the dominant
S2: party in any new government? Now it's at least possible
S2: that Netanyahu could choose to step aside to help the
S2: more centrist parties form a broad coalition without the parties
S2: from the extreme right or left. So don't be surprised
S2: if 2024 brings new elections to Israel and possibly a
S2: new prime minister. But as I've said many times before
S2: on this program, never rushed to count Netanyahu out. He's
S2: demonstrated time and time again he's a political survivor.
S1: Well, one key area impacted by the war, of course,
S1: has been tourism. Does Israel have any idea how soon
S1: tourism might bounce back?
S2: Well, I listen to a discussion with some individuals in
S2: the tourism industry this past week. In the end, the
S2: head of the tour agency was asked his thoughts on
S2: the timing and he said, we lost Hanukkah and Christmas,
S2: but we'll have Passover and Easter, meaning he expected tourism
S2: to bounce back by mid to late March. The response
S2: from the host was so typically Jewish, he said. From
S2: your lips to God's ears, meaning we hope God agrees
S2: with your assessment. The one positive that came out of
S2: the discussion was Israel's resilience, both as individuals and as
S2: a nation. You know, they don't know when the war
S2: will be over. They don't know what Hezbollah is going
S2: to do, but they believe the country and tourism will
S2: bounce back relatively quickly once peace returns. The three crucial elements, though,
S2: right now are Hezbollah, transportation and hotels. Hamas is being
S2: downgraded as a fighting force, but Hezbollah still remains to
S2: the north. And until the world knows what Hezbollah's intentions are,
S2: Israel will remain on war footing. Transportation is the second element.
S2: Tourism won't come back until the airlines start flying again.
S2: And right now, all the major airlines, with the exception
S2: of El Al, aren't flying their watch to see when
S2: the first airline announces that it's resuming flights that will
S2: signal the start of a return to normalcy. And then
S2: the third element is hotels. Right now, many are being
S2: used to house those displaced by the war, both in
S2: the south and up in the north. Regular amenities were
S2: cut back and a significant number of hotel staff were
S2: were laid off or call back to military service. Once
S2: those now in the hotels return home, the hotels will
S2: need to be prepped and the staff rehired, and that
S2: might take a little while. But the larger chains will
S2: try to get their hotels up and running as rapidly
S2: as possible. 60% of the tourists who go to Israel
S2: do so for religious reasons, and there were 130,000 tourists
S2: in Israel the morning of October 7th. Right now, that
S2: number is about 18,000, and most of those are Jewish
S2: individuals who've gone to Israel to support family or friends.
S2: That's an 86% drop in tourism. Tourism small, but it's
S2: a significant part of Israel's economy. So they'll push to
S2: get it up and running to bring back jobs and income.
S2: And hopefully this coming spring, we'll see Robins returning up
S2: here in the north in the US and tourists starting
S2: to flock back to Israel.
S1: I love it. Thank you Charlie. Well, moving away from
S1: events surrounding the war to advances in archaeology, researchers opened
S1: up a new avenue of study for archaeologists by successfully
S1: extracting DNA out of a 2900 year old brick from
S1: ancient Assyria. How were they able to do this? And
S1: what did they discover, and how might it be used
S1: at other sites?
S2: Yeah, this is fascinating to me. Researchers took this mud
S2: brick from a palace in northern Iraq. It was built
S2: by Assyrian king Ashur Nasr Paul the Second. His name
S2: was stamped on the brick. So they know actually the
S2: time of his reign. He was from 879 to 869 BC.
S2: So they can date this brick to within a ten
S2: year period, the researchers inserted a probe into the inner
S2: core of the brick and extracted a DNA sample from
S2: an area that hadn't been contaminated over over the last
S2: 2800 years. From that sample, they were able to identify
S2: 34 distinct groups of plants, including cabbage, heather, birch, laurel,
S2: and different cultivated grasses. They then compared those findings with
S2: modern day botanical records from Iraq, as well as ancient
S2: Assyrian plant descriptions. They wanted to see what had changed.
S2: The results served as a biodiversity time capsule on the
S2: site and its surroundings, and provide another avenue of insight
S2: into ancient Assyrian culture. The researchers believe this could become a.
S2: Valuable tool to provide a better understanding of ancient civilizations
S2: and to evaluate the extent of biodiversity change over the centuries.
S2: And to think, John, all of that from the inner
S2: core of an ancient mud brick.
S1: Who knew? Well, a fascinating program today, including a conversation
S1: coming up regarding 40 days through revelation, Ron Rhodes shares
S1: how Jesus and hope and blessing are at the center
S1: of that book, so you'll love that conversation. Plus, we've
S1: got Bible questions and Charlie's answers and his devotional kind
S1: of worth sticking around for, I think. And it's also
S1: worth sharing with a friend. Let them know where they
S1: can listen to our podcast. It's right there at the website,
S1: The Land and the book.org. We're back with more next.
S1: If you could sum up the Book of Revelations teaching
S1: in just one word, what would you choose? Judgment. Violence
S1: may be finale, but about the word blessing. Well, that's
S1: the thought that captures Ron Rhodes. Hey, coming up, a
S1: look at 40 days through revelation. Welcome to segment two
S1: here on the land and the book. I'm John Geiger.
S1: And just before we take a peek at future events,
S1: let's think about how we could impact the present by
S1: sharing the love of Christ with a Jewish friend. We
S1: are by nature curious. We want to know what's on
S1: the other side of this life. Can you ask your
S1: Jewish friend, though, what they think, and how do you
S1: steer that toward Jesus? Roy Schwartz is with Chosen People Ministries.
S1: How would you conduct that conversation, Roy?
S3: Well, I wouldn't go right away to Jesus. I would
S3: just go to Moses. And I'd say that Moses said,
S3: there's two ways to find life, either following and obeying
S3: God or going our own way. And so when we
S3: follow God and come to him and trust in him,
S3: he says, we will have life. God wants us to
S3: have life and to have it abundantly. That's why God
S3: gave the law. It pointed to the way, the truth,
S3: and the life. And so in the law it portrays
S3: a way that leads to life. Now, as a Christian,
S3: I understand that there's no way I can keep the law.
S3: It points to the Messiah, but the idea of the
S3: Messiah is again, all in the Jewish scriptures. And I
S3: would not go into the New Testament until they're ready,
S3: until they're ready to receive it. What we have to
S3: do is share with Jewish people that apart from the
S3: work of God, there is no salvation. Apart from I
S3: mean that that there is a way that leads to life.
S3: There is a way that brings life, and that God
S3: is the source of life and that he's given us life,
S3: and that life points to him. He is the way,
S3: the truth, and the life. And then once they acknowledge
S3: that God is the source of life, that he is
S3: the way, the truth and the life, then you can eventually,
S3: if they're ready to acknowledge God as that, then they
S3: could possibly understand that. That's why he sent the Messiah
S3: to model the way of God in person.
S1: Roy Schwartz is with Chosen People Ministries. Thanks for those insights. Dr.
S1: Ron Rhodes is the president of Reasoning from the scriptures,
S1: ministries and apologetics organization located in Texas. He received his
S1: master's and doctoral degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary, graduating with honors.
S1: Ron has written more than 60 books and is a
S1: keynote speaker at conferences across the United States and Canada,
S1: and as time permits, he also teaches at a number
S1: of seminaries, including Dallas Theological Seminary and others. He's been
S1: a guest on many national and regional radio and television programs.
S1: He and his wife, Carrie, reside in Texas. Hey, welcome
S1: back to the land and the book run.
S4: Thank you so much. It's great to be with you today.
S1: You know, Ron, I think a lot of listeners might
S1: be scratching their heads right now. They think about, you know, revelation,
S1: and they're imaging in their minds bowls of judgment, smoke, fire, war, death, judgment.
S1: But you say that revelation should also point us to blessing.
S1: Elaborate on that.
S4: Well, the Book of Revelation is the only book in
S4: the Bible that promises a special blessing to those who
S4: read it and obey its message seven different times. Now,
S4: I don't know about you, but I want that blessing.
S4: I think that part of the blessing may relate to
S4: the fact that as you get to the last chapter,
S4: we win. This book was actually written towards people who
S4: were being persecuted, and it was intended to bring comfort
S4: to them in their persecution.
S1: Well, okay. You know, and I want that blessing too, Ron,
S1: and I appreciate your pointing that out. It's those of
S1: us who read and heed this last book of our Bible.
S1: Why do so many of us, though, fail to connect
S1: a sense of blessing with the book of revelation? Ron.
S4: Well, it is true that there's a lot of judgment
S4: in the book, but you have to understand that in
S4: context that judgment is not for Christians, that judgment is
S4: for unbelievers, people who reject Jesus. And the thing of
S4: it is, when you read the end of the book,
S4: we end up in the New Jerusalem, which is in heaven.
S4: The way I like to tell it to people is
S4: we will have a resurrected body and live on a
S4: resurrected Earth in a brand new city called the New Jerusalem.
S4: Now that's good news. That's part of the blessing that's
S4: promised in the book of Revelation. And so the point
S4: that I would make is this no matter what suffering
S4: you have in the present day, read the book of revelation,
S4: because it can bring the same comfort to you that
S4: it brought to the first century Christians who were being persecuted.
S1: That's great. So that's an encouragement, Ron. Ron Rhodes has
S1: written more than 60 books and is a keynote speaker
S1: at conferences throughout the country, also teaches at seminaries, and
S1: so on. Ron, you've written the book 40 Days through revelation.
S1: What's different about this one from the many others out
S1: there on End Times events?
S4: Well, first of all, this is really easy to go through.
S4: My book takes the cookies and puts them on the
S4: bottom shelf, so to speak. I do that because I
S4: want people to understand the message. And so in each chapter,
S4: I not only explain what the text means, but I've
S4: got a number of extra sections that I add into
S4: the chapter. For example, there's a section on major themes.
S4: So I summarize the big ideas in each section of scripture.
S4: I also provide life lessons. This is where you learn
S4: to apply what you have read in your daily life.
S4: And I tell you what, I can speak from experience
S4: in telling you that if you go through the book
S4: of Revelation to the very end, it will transform you.
S4: You cannot read through these life lessons and applications without
S4: your life being changed.
S1: So, Ron, walk us through some of the major themes
S1: of revelation, and maybe a couple that some of us overlook.
S1: What are the major themes?
S4: Well, interestingly, the Book of Revelation begins by talking about
S4: seven churches, and Jesus knows everything that is right in
S4: those churches and everything that is wrong. And so Jesus
S4: tells us to clean up our act on all the
S4: things that we've got wrong. But he commends us when
S4: we've done something right. There's all kinds of application in
S4: that text, and I would encourage all my listeners today
S4: to give it a shot. You're going to find all
S4: kinds of life changing stuff there. And then beginning in
S4: chapter four of revelation, it starts getting into prophecy. And
S4: in prophecy it deals with the tribulation period in chapters
S4: four through 18. And then we find the second coming
S4: of Jesus in chapter 19. Then we find the Millennial Kingdom,
S4: which is the thousand year rule of Christ. And that's
S4: in chapter 20. And then in chapters 21 and 22,
S4: we have the eternal state, and that means heaven for Christians.
S4: And so it's a pretty logical organization. And it goes
S4: from one prophecy to the next. Now there are some
S4: symbols in there, but typically the symbols are defined within
S4: the text of revelation.
S1: Well, Ron, you mentioned these symbols. I think many readers
S1: are afraid to jump into the book of revelation, figuring
S1: all of that imagery is simply way over their heads.
S1: No way to really grasp it. How would you counsel
S1: people who feel like that, Ron?
S4: Well, I would say just to pay attention to the
S4: context of revelation. For example, we do read about incense
S4: and then the scriptures define the incense as the prayer
S4: of believers. So the symbol is defined. We read about
S4: many waters, and the waters refers to the nations. That's
S4: what revelation tells us. So the point that I'm making
S4: is that every time you come across a symbol in revelation,
S4: it is typically defined for us, and each symbol contains
S4: a literal truth. Now, I must tell you that some
S4: of those symbols are found in the Old Testament. You know,
S4: for example, Jesus is called the Lamb of God in
S4: the book of Revelation. Well, what does that mean? Well,
S4: there's a lot of other verses, both in the New
S4: Testament and the Old Testament that shed light on that.
S4: And so, just as that's true of the Lamb of God,
S4: it's true of all the other prophetic topics.
S1: Dr. Ron Rhodes is the president of reasoning from the scriptures,
S1: ministries and apologetics organization located in Texas, and he received
S1: his master's and doctoral degrees from the Dallas Theological Seminary,
S1: graduating with honors, I might add. Well, what do you
S1: see as some key life lessons, Ron, that we should
S1: carry away from revelation? What are the themes that stir
S1: you in particular?
S4: Well, I think in particular, we need to have an
S4: eternal perspective. Life can be hard. Life can throw us punches.
S4: And because life can be hard, we need to have
S4: a perspective that looks beyond the problems that we have
S4: to our ultimate destiny. You know, Scripture never says that
S4: we're going to have it easy once we become Christians.
S4: In fact, it's just the opposite. I think the thing
S4: of it is that eternal perspective gives us strength in
S4: the present. I would also say this the Book of
S4: Revelation emphasizes that God is our creator. And yet, one
S4: of the things I think that is lacking among so
S4: many today is what I call creaturely respect. You know,
S4: God made us, therefore we ought to listen to him,
S4: and we really ought to obey him. You know, that's
S4: one of the things that comes across loud and clear
S4: in the book of revelation. And so I want to
S4: be one of those Christians who doesn't just talk the talk,
S4: but I want to walk the walk, to put it
S4: in the popular vernacular. Yeah. It might surprise listeners to
S4: know that the book of revelation in different words, emphasizes
S4: that same truth.
S1: You know, it feels to me like there's an uptick
S1: in the interest level with regard to the book of
S1: revelation these days. Anecdotally, I see, you know, more people
S1: looking at it, studying it, books coming out. Do you
S1: share that impression, and if so, how do you account
S1: for it?
S4: I think that there is increased interest in this topic,
S4: no question about it. In fact, I've talked to a
S4: number of different authors on on prophecy books, and all
S4: of their books are increased in terms of sales. And,
S4: you know, that just shows interest that people have as well.
S4: The volume of mail that is coming in with people
S4: having questions. Even when you look at the secular media,
S4: the secular media is talking about how many people believe
S4: that all of this that's taking place in our world
S4: today is an indication of the end times. And so
S4: I think it's very, very relevant. And one of the
S4: things a lot of people don't recognize is that when
S4: the Bible was written over, one fourth of it was
S4: prophetic when it was written. That's a lot of the Bible.
S4: So you don't want to be one of those people
S4: that ignores Bible prophecy.
S1: What would you say is the greatest warning for believers?
S1: Not non-believers, but believers in the book of revelation? What
S1: would that be, do you think?
S4: I think that today one of the greatest warnings I
S4: would bring is the sin of partial obedience. I know
S4: all kinds of Christians who obey God in some areas,
S4: but not in all areas. And so it's time for
S4: us to examine our lives and to make any necessary
S4: changes right now. And one of the reasons I say
S4: that is we don't know when the rapture of the
S4: church will happen, right? I don't want to be in
S4: the middle of some bad sin when Christ shows up,
S4: if you know what I mean. Right? So it's a
S4: very important thing, and every Christian should take it to heart.
S1: If there's a second warning, what do you think that
S1: might be for believers?
S4: A second warning might be the fact that too many
S4: Christians have not shown the kind of love. Of toward
S4: Christ and toward others that they should. This is illustrated
S4: in the church at Ephesus. Today, it seems like so
S4: many churches focused mostly on doctrine and doctrine is good.
S4: We need to have that. But where is that heartfelt
S4: passion for God? It's not just a matter of the head,
S4: it's also a matter of the heart. We need to
S4: have that heart love for God that shows itself in
S4: the way that we live. So when Christ was talking
S4: to the Christians at Ephesus, he said, you guys used
S4: to love me, but now that's waned. Here we are
S4: 60 years later and all that love has waned, even
S4: though you're doctrinally correct. So Jesus was telling them, yes,
S4: stay strong on the doctrine, but increase your love. And
S4: so I think that that's something that the modern church
S4: can learn as well. Yeah.
S1: Well, what about warnings for non-believers? I think of revelation
S1: 2015 right off the bat, you know, whosoever his name
S1: was not found written in the Lamb's Book of Life
S1: was cast into the lake of fire. It doesn't get
S1: any more sobering than that, Ron.
S4: Well, that's true, and a tempering truth would be the
S4: fact that even though the tribulation period is going to
S4: be horrible, you know, there's going to be the darkest
S4: period in human history. Nevertheless, God is going to send
S4: his witnesses to share the gospel. I'm talking about, for example,
S4: the 144,000 Jewish witnesses in revelation seven, and then God's
S4: going to send two mighty prophets in revelation 11, and
S4: they're going to bear witness to the truth, and they
S4: will make such an impact that there's going to be
S4: a great multitude of believers. And so the point is
S4: this even though there are many unbelievers today, you still
S4: got the opportunity, even during the tribulation period, to turn
S4: your life over to Christ. And I just love that fact.
S4: In the darkest period of history, Christ's light will still shine.
S1: And that's a great place to land. This conversation. We're
S1: talking today with Ron Rhodes, who's written 40 days through revelation.
S1: There's a link to that book, a link to his
S1: website as well, when you visit us at the land
S1: and the book org, the land and the book. Org Ron,
S1: we'd love to have you come back sometime and talk
S1: about the end times in chronological order. Will you do that?
S5: I will do it. All right.
S1: We'll enjoy that as well. Right now, though, a visit
S1: with Charlie Dyer. Coming up, your Bible questions his answers
S1: here on the land and the book. It's always good
S1: to connect with you here at The land. In the book,
S1: I'm John Geiger with our host, Charlie Dyer. I think
S1: you're going to love What's Up next? It's our Q&A segment.
S1: Questions and answers, not our questions. Yours. Your questions. As
S1: you peruse through Scripture and encounter things that kind of
S1: make you scratch your head, what do you do with
S1: those questions? We recommend you send us an email at
S1: The Land and the Book at Moody Edu and let
S1: Charlie take a look. Well, Charlie Israel has been on
S1: all of our minds these past months. Many of us
S1: have been struggling with questions of what to think and feel.
S1: And in the midst of all this, God's heart for
S1: the Jewish people remains unchanged. He is faithful to his
S1: chosen people.
S2: And that's why, as this year is drawing to a close,
S2: our friends at Life in Messiah would like to help
S2: you better connect with this crucial aspect of God's character.
S2: They're offering their new book, Sharing God's Heart to the
S2: land and the book listeners. This 30 day guided reflection
S2: will help connect you with God's heart for his precious people.
S2: The articles written by Life and Messiah staff provide insight
S2: into Jewish life and culture. They can help prepare you
S2: to share with your friends the peace of Messiah they
S2: so desperately need. If you would like one of these
S2: insightful books for yourself or as a gift for someone else,
S2: visit Life in Messiah org and click on the Moody
S2: Radio button to find out how you can receive your copy.
S2: That's life in messiah.org.
S1: All right. We'll start with our first question today from John.
S1: He says, as the name of your program indicates, the
S1: land and the book, you have a great love for
S1: the people of Israel. I'd like to know your view
S1: of covenant or Reformed theology. Do you believe that viewing
S1: the Scripture in this way is detrimental to the support
S1: of God's chosen people?
S2: Okay, I got to start by saying I'm not a
S2: covenant theologian, and I'm not reformed in the sense that
S2: I don't hold to all five of those traditional tulip
S2: points of reform theology, like limited atonement or unconditional election.
S2: But I do know individuals who identify themselves as covenant
S2: theologians and five point Calvinists, but who nevertheless still support
S2: Israel and the Jewish people and who see a future
S2: for Israel. So let me answer in a slightly different way.
S2: I personally see the issue being how one approaches the
S2: prophetic portions of God's Word when taken literally or at
S2: face value, as I do, it's clear that the Bible
S2: pictures a future earthly messianic kingdom for Israel. The covenant
S2: God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants
S2: is still in effect, and it will be fulfilled at
S2: the second coming of Christ. Those who hold the replacement
S2: theology believe those promises have been all transferred from Israel
S2: to the church, and will be fulfilled in a spiritual
S2: rather than a literal sense. And practically, that's often resulted
S2: in a rise in antisemitism. The one passage in the
S2: New Testament that directly speaks to the relationship between Israel
S2: and the church is Romans 9 to 11. And there
S2: Paul makes it clear that God's promises to Israel remain
S2: in force because, as he says in 1128 to 29,
S2: Israel is, quote, loved on account of the patriarchs, for
S2: God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. In other words,
S2: Paul is saying that Israel has a future because God
S2: made specific, unconditional promises to the patriarchs and to Israel,
S2: and God never reneges on his promises. So while I
S2: disagree theologically with those who hold the covenant and reform theology,
S2: I believe the main issue when it comes to support
S2: for Israel is whether or not someone holds to replacement
S2: theology those who believe the church has replaced Israel as
S2: the people of God and who see God's promises to Israel,
S2: you know, now being fulfilled spiritually in the church, they're
S2: the ones less likely to support Israel or to view
S2: them as God's chosen people.
S1: And says, thank you for your program. And I should
S1: point out, you guys tend to talk rather quickly. Charlie,
S1: my wife says that to me all the time. And
S1: she's she's asking, you know, in light of that, you know,
S1: is there a book out there that might have more
S1: facts about the type of questions that people ask?
S2: Well, you know, John, I confess I speak quickly. I
S2: grew up in northeastern PA and on the East Coast,
S2: and I've just never been able to break that habit.
S2: But now, answering the question, here are some books I
S2: found helpful for people who want to know just how
S2: to answer Bible questions. Some are old, but you can
S2: find them online. The first is alleged discrepancies of the
S2: Bible by a fellow named John Haley Haley. It was
S2: published first back in 1874, but it's still a good source.
S2: The second book is Bible Questions Answered, and that was
S2: written by William Pettengill, and it actually first appeared in 1965.
S2: And the third book I found helpful is Evidence That
S2: Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell, and a revised edition
S2: of that was published in 2017. And all three of those,
S2: by the way, are available on Amazon.
S1: You're listening to The Land in the book from Moody Radio.
S1: Our host is Charlie Dyer. I'm John Geiger. We are
S1: speaking just a bit slower in an attempt to make
S1: sure you get everything. Here's a question from Joan about baptism.
S1: Some people are saying it can only be done by
S1: complete immersion. She says I was baptized by sprinkling. When
S1: I was 18 months old. I don't remember it, but
S1: I know the Holy Spirit lives in me. God has
S1: blessed me over and over during my life. My pastor
S1: says God does the baptizing, so whichever way we do,
S1: it is not better one way or the other. I
S1: can only speak from my experience, your perspective.
S2: Well, and give a little bit of historical background here.
S2: When I was born, my parents had me baptized in
S2: the church where my mom grew up. It was a
S2: church that practiced infant baptism, so I was baptized as
S2: a child. Later, as I grew up, I wrestled with
S2: should I, as a believer be baptized? And for several
S2: years I resisted because of that infant baptism experience and
S2: the verse that changed my mind. This is crazy. It's
S2: first Corinthians one, verses 14 to 17, and there Paul writes,
S2: I'm thankful that I did not baptize any of you.
S2: And he goes on, though, and mentions a few he
S2: had baptized and explains why. And he says, Christ didn't
S2: send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel. Now
S2: here's why those verses help me. My reluctance to be
S2: baptized was caused in part by my resistance to some
S2: who saw baptism as necessary for salvation, and I also
S2: struggled with people who saw baptism as something like an
S2: initiation ritual for joining the church. I resonated with Paul's
S2: words that Jesus hadn't sent him to baptize but to
S2: preach the gospel. But then I also noticed that he
S2: did baptize some who came to faith. Anyway, that helped
S2: me understand baptism. It's not a requirement for salvation. It's
S2: a public way to identify with the death, burial, and
S2: resurrection of Jesus and to demonstrate a desire to follow him.
S2: And that's what finally got me baptized. Now, in terms
S2: of the mode of baptism, I'm less dogmatic here. I
S2: was baptized by immersion in a swimming pool, but I've
S2: been in services where people are baptized by sprinkling water
S2: on their heads or pouring water over their heads, and
S2: sometimes it's done for health reasons. Other times it's the
S2: preference of the church or the pastor. And to me,
S2: the decision to identify publicly with Jesus is more important
S2: than a specific mode. So what I'd encourage you to
S2: do study for yourself what the Bible says about baptism,
S2: and then do what you personally believe is most honoring
S2: to the Lord.
S1: George writes, there are many verses in the Bible that
S1: tell us to seek after God, such as Jeremiah 29,
S1: verse 13 also that we're to draw near to him,
S1: as in James four verse eight, and he will reveal
S1: himself to us. However, we're told in Romans three verse
S1: 11 that no one seeks after God, and that only
S1: God can draw us to himself. John 644. So how
S1: do we bring all these verses into agreement?
S2: I got an answer two ways. First, Romans three is
S2: where Paul's quoting several Old Testament passages to prove his assertion.
S2: He made in three nine that Jews and Gentiles alike
S2: are all under sin. So it's a summary of an
S2: argument he's been constructing since chapter one. I then see
S2: his conclusion in verses 20 to 24 of chapter three.
S2: There's nothing we can do to be declared righteous. However,
S2: there's a righteousness that comes to us from God through faith.
S2: Now second, I see the other verses calling on us
S2: to draw near to God as being addressed to those
S2: who have been justified by faith and who now possess
S2: the indwelling Holy Spirit. In fact, a good verse for
S2: me is Philippians 212 to 13. That passage is where
S2: Paul calls on believers in Philippi to quote, work out
S2: your own salvation with fear and trembling. That is, he's
S2: calling on them to actively work to make their position
S2: in Christ a reality that's very similar to that. Draw
S2: near to God and he'll draw near to you. Verse
S2: you mentioned elsewhere. But in the very next verse Paul
S2: tells how this can happen. He says, For it's God
S2: who's at work in you both to will and work
S2: for his good pleasure, so Paul can call on us
S2: to do our part, because God is already at work
S2: inside his followers, providing both the desire and the enablement
S2: to accomplish his will.
S1: It's the land and the book from Moody Radio. Our host,
S1: Charlie Dyer, is answering questions that have come to us
S1: via email. Christine takes us to John two verse four,
S1: where Jesus is speaking to his mother at the wedding
S1: of Cana, and she doesn't understand the phrase where Jesus says,
S1: what to me and to you? Oh, woman. Jesus mother
S1: obviously knew that Jesus is going to help because she
S1: told the servants, whatever he tells you to do, do it.
S1: So can you help me understand the passage?
S2: Yeah, and there's several items in that short little account
S2: that need explanation. The first is when Jesus addressed his
S2: mother as woman. That seems harsh to us, almost rude,
S2: but it's not an insult. It was a polite, though
S2: not necessarily intimate way of addressing a woman. You know,
S2: Jesus used that to talk to the woman at the well.
S2: Later in John four, he used it again to connect
S2: his mother with the Apostle John while he's on the
S2: cross in John 19 and in John 20, the angels
S2: at the empty tomb used it to address Mary Magdalene.
S2: And in that same chapter so did Jesus. So I
S2: believe the word interjects just a bit of separation between
S2: Jesus and His mother. Instead of being the child who
S2: was obedient to his parents. Like in Luke 251, Jesus
S2: is now the son who's submitting to the will of
S2: his heavenly father. So the literal phrase part what to
S2: me and to you was a relatively common phrase used
S2: to indicate a change in relationship. It's found in Mark
S2: chapter one, where the demons cried out, what do you
S2: want with us? It's also found in the Septuagint translation
S2: of judges chapter 11. Jephthah sent messengers to the king
S2: of the. And I asked, what's between you and me
S2: that you've come to fight me? And it's found a
S2: number of other places as well to put it all together.
S2: Jesus is addressing his mother in a polite but less
S2: intimate way to let her know there's a change in
S2: their relationship. She's asking him to do something dramatic, even miraculous,
S2: to save the honor of the wedding couple. But Jesus
S2: is saying, wait, my hour hasn't yet. Come now. Mary
S2: accepts what Jesus said, turns to the servants and simply says,
S2: whatever he says, do it. Jesus graciously answers his mother's request,
S2: but the miracle was only known to a select audience.
S2: It wasn't time yet for his miracles to show his power.
S1: Great insights. Thank you Charlie, and we're looking forward to
S1: your devotional. It's next here on the land and the book.
S1: Welcome back to the land in the book. It's our
S1: fourth and final segment. I'm John Geiger, our host, Dr.
S1: Charlie Dyer, about to deliver a devotional that I think
S1: you'll find encouraging from Proverbs chapter 26. It's titled answering
S1: a Fool. And I think to myself, you know, I'm
S1: sure there are times when I've been foolish, but how
S1: should we answer a fool? Is there a right way,
S1: a wrong way? And what are we to do with
S1: the apparent contradictions that we find in Proverbs chapter 26?
S1: That's all coming up here on the land of the book. First, though,
S1: a thought from somebody who has traveled to the Holy
S1: Land and brings back this Holy Land experience for you
S1: and me.
S6: My name is Beth. I'm from Indianapolis and this trip
S6: has just been incredible. It's hard to say what my
S6: favorite spot was, but if I had to pick one
S6: right now, I would say seeing Peter's house in Capernaum,
S6: right on the Sea of Galilee. And just to know
S6: that Jesus did his ministry in that small area of
S6: three towns that are very close to each other, was
S6: a real insight that he really didn't go far for
S6: the main part of his ministry those three years, and
S6: just to be in the spot where he stayed and
S6: did a major part of his ministry was incredible. I'll
S6: never read the Bible the same again. To know where
S6: each of these places are just adds so much understanding,
S6: and I've just learned how important it is to pay
S6: attention to the details of the Bible, that our God
S6: is a God of detail, and we need to know
S6: those details. So it was a real challenge for me
S6: to strive to do that more.
S1: Well, Charlie, sometimes we get confused when we read scriptures
S1: that apparently contradict each other. Help us unpack Proverbs 26
S1: verses four and five.
S2: Oh, thanks, John. Yeah, this is two of my favorite
S2: verses here, but I got to start this way. Over
S2: the past year, I posted a total of 29 short
S2: videos on my trips to Israel on our land in
S2: the book Facebook page. At the end of most touring days,
S2: I'd upload the video clips to my iPad and then
S2: produce a summary of the day set to music. It's
S2: actually a very therapeutic way for me to end each day.
S2: Most of the time, those videos are viewed by a
S2: few dozen to a few hundred friends and followers of
S2: the land in the book, but for some reason I
S2: can't even begin to explain. A few of the videos
S2: went viral, with tens of thousands of people viewing them.
S2: One reached over 173,000 people, with 13,000 directly engaging with
S2: the video in some way. Now, that sounds like a
S2: totally unexpected blessing, but it actually turned out to be
S2: both a blessing and a curse. Now, I say that
S2: because some who came across the videos and then shared
S2: them with their circle of friends and followers are definitely
S2: not friends of Israel, or the Jewish people, or evangelical Christians,
S2: or the radio program. In fact, some posts were downright hateful.
S2: And by hateful I mean using anti-Semitic slurs, swearing, posting
S2: inappropriate pictures, and providing links to other sites that are
S2: the opposite of what the land in the book and
S2: Moody Bible Institute believe in teach. I had to go
S2: through those posts dozens of times to hide and block
S2: individuals trying to hijack the site to promote their own
S2: anti biblical ideology. Even now, I still find myself going
S2: back every so often and discovering still more posts popping
S2: up like weeds needing to be pulled out. During all this,
S2: I asked myself what the proper response ought to be
S2: when confronted with individuals who respond in such hateful ways.
S2: And as always, the Bible provided the answer. So today
S2: we're going to be exploring some of King Solomon's wise
S2: words on how best to answer a fool. Now I
S2: need to start by defining what the Bible means by
S2: a fool. In the Bible, a fool isn't someone who
S2: merely acts silly. A fool is the opposite of someone
S2: who is wise. For example, Proverbs 1023 says, A fool
S2: finds pleasure in wickedness, but a wise man delights in understanding.
S2: Or Proverbs 1215. The wave of fool is right in
S2: his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.
S2: Perhaps Psalm 14 one characterizes the fool best. The fool
S2: says in his heart there is no God. So how
S2: do you respond to someone who is always convinced he
S2: or she has all the answers? Who refuses to listen
S2: to the advice or counsel of someone else, and who
S2: has no time for God in his or her life. Well,
S2: wise King Solomon offered two courses of action that at
S2: first actually seemed contradictory. Here's his answer in Proverbs 26,
S2: verse four, do not answer a fool according to his folly,
S2: or you will be like him yourself. And then here's
S2: response number two in the very next verse, answer a
S2: fool according to his folly, or he will be wise
S2: in his own eyes. So are you supposed to respond
S2: in a similar way to the words of a fool,
S2: or is the best response no response at all? Well,
S2: let's unpack Solomon's words to see how they apply. And
S2: we'll start with verse four. There are times when someone's crude, tasteless,
S2: vile remarks just punch all the wrong buttons in our
S2: lives and we get angry. Physiologically, our blood pressure and
S2: our heart rate rise and our adrenal glands release adrenaline
S2: prompting the fight or flight mechanism. We get agitated and
S2: we begin to process things less logically and more emotionally.
S2: A very real temptation, right then, is to lash out
S2: at the individual, either verbally or physically, to let them
S2: know our extreme displeasure. And that's why Solomon's words in
S2: verse four are so important. Don't answer a fool according
S2: to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.
S2: His point is that those who are wise must learn
S2: to control their emotions, so that they're not brought down
S2: to the level of the fool. Many times, the questions
S2: and statements of a fool simply need to be ignored.
S2: There's a quotation, rightly or wrongly, attributed to Mark Twain
S2: that represents the truth of Proverbs 26 four. This way.
S2: Never argue with a fool. They'll drag you down to
S2: their level and then beat you with experience. A more
S2: modern and perhaps more graphic example was shared by a
S2: former head of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, when
S2: he was being heckled by someone in the crowd asking
S2: nasty and irrelevant questions, the speaker finally held up his
S2: own hand and said, my friend, I'm not going to
S2: answer any more of your questions. I hope you won't
S2: take this personally, but I'm reminded of something my old
S2: uncle told me long ago. Back on the farm. He said,
S2: what's the sense of wrestling with a pig? You both
S2: get all over muddy and the pig likes it. So
S2: wise response number one is simply to ignore foolish comments
S2: and questions to remain above the fray. And that's what
S2: I actually chose to do for the vile and hateful
S2: comments posted on our Facebook page. In my sinful self,
S2: I wanted to fire back with my own verbal. But
S2: then I remembered Solomon's wise words. So instead I simply
S2: block the individual from our page, remove the post, and
S2: the problem was solved and I didn't lose my cool
S2: or waste my time. But what about those times when
S2: someone is promoting false teaching that could very well impact others?
S2: When someone fails to respond, it's possible the fool will
S2: believe he or she must be right. What are we
S2: to do in those situations? And that's when Solomon reaches
S2: into his bag of wisdom and pulls out verse five.
S2: Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will
S2: be wise in his own eyes. Now I don't believe
S2: Solomon is telling us to climb down to the level
S2: of the fool by launching a personal attack or a
S2: vicious answer. The word translated according to in that verse
S2: is actually a single Hebrew letter that denotes a comparison.
S2: Solomon isn't saying we need to respond to the fool
S2: by acting in the same foolish way ourselves. Rather, he's
S2: saying that in those times we need to respond in
S2: a way that shows the foolishness of the comments made
S2: by the fool. The New American Standard Bible offers a
S2: good rendering of the phrase where to answer a fool
S2: as his folly deserves, unless we miss the point. Solomon
S2: explains why that sometimes necessary that he may not be
S2: wise in his own eyes. There are times when the
S2: fool and those who might be under his influence need
S2: to be shown that their arguments are flawed and their
S2: reasoning is faulty. A foolish comments can be ignored, but
S2: there are times when false ideas need to be corrected.
S2: So when should we apply verse four and when should
S2: we apply verse five? That comes from mastering God's wisdom.
S2: I would suggest that one way to discern is to
S2: see what our motives are for responding or not responding.
S2: If I want to respond because I'm offended and angry,
S2: then perhaps that's when I need to focus on verse
S2: four and not let myself be drawn into a debate.
S2: But if I want to respond because I see others
S2: being influenced by the fool, that's when I need to
S2: pray for wisdom and see if the response of verse
S2: five is appropriate. So how have I applied this to
S2: my life for 99% of the vile, filthy, false comments
S2: that were posted to our Facebook page? I simply block
S2: the one doing the posting. No answer would change their
S2: foolish opinion, and it could certainly take up a great
S2: deal of my time wrestling in the mud. Now I
S2: take the opposite approach with those who write to the
S2: program with questions I answer virtually everyone who writes, even
S2: when I sense an antagonistic spirit. And thankfully, there aren't
S2: too many of those. But I do want to provide
S2: them with a biblical answer. And I share those questions
S2: and answers on the program, because I want our listeners
S2: to be aware of the issues so that they aren't
S2: led astray. So should you answer a fool or not?
S2: The Solomon would say it depends. Study Proverbs 26, verses
S2: four and five, and then ask God to give you
S2: a heart of wisdom and knowing how best to respond.
S1: Boy, that is so practical. Charlie. Thank you for those insights.
S1: Proverbs 26 verses four and five. Maybe you want to
S1: check those out for yourself. Our podcast is available for
S1: you to share with a friend or enjoy yourself. You'll
S1: find it at the land and the book. Org I'm
S1: John Geiger for Charlie Dyer, thanking you for listening to
S1: The Land and the book, a production of Moody Radio,
S1: a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.